Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-07-16
F TO CoyvICTs.
a y ssissippi Grand Jury On The
Stste Lease.

1850 ~
tract the following in reference TO th,
condition OF the peniten;iary:
To the lion, 7. J. VIA ton,;:Judge;
After a most arduous session ofelev.
en- days We. the grand jury of the FRS
District of Kinds county for this tn,
June term oil the court, having com
pls,cd our labor>, beg to submit ON
final repor'. We have examined -,
witnesses and have found and ro;uru,
ed into court thirty-cight truebills, OF
which six have been for murder, eight
for grand larceny, and the remainder
for minor o~tlcnscs,
We find, with the exception OF muir
der, there IS very little crime in this
district: but we are compelled to de-
plore the fact that homicide seems to
be on the increase. We iccl.we have
discharged our duty toward the sup.
preston of this crime as best We were
able, l%caving.the court TO carry on the
work.
We felt it our duty to inspect the
pcuitcniiavy, and We report the result
Of our inspection rs follows: We find
comparatively few prisoners ~ the
walls ofthcpcnitcutiary, o>t OF them
being ont on the Gulf and Ship Island
Railroad aud elsewhere. We found
nothing to complain OF in the walls.
The yard seemed TO be dean and the
building. 50 far rs we could judge, in
a safe and clcanly condition, and those
immediately In charge polite and &c.
commodAtiug in showing MS around.
But We feel constrained by a sense OF
public duty TO call attention 10 the
hospital there, the manner III which il
is kept and the condition of lis occu-
pants. We found t~weutY.siX inmates,
an Of whom have been lately brought
there of the farms aud railroads, many
Of them with consumption and other
incurablc diseases. and AL bearing on
their person. marks Of the most inhu-
man and brutal treatment; most OF
them have their backs cut i'll great
wales. scars aud blistcrs, some with
the skin pCeling off in pieces as the re.
suit OF severe beatings.
Their fee, and hands in some ins'an-
cCs show SigDS Of frost bite, and all OF
them with the stamp q! manhood al
mos, blot,cd ont Of their faces. which
show that they have been treated more
cruelty and brutally than a nation OF
sayager ought 10 permit inflicted upon
its cunvicts. They are living there dy-
ing. SEINE Of them OIL bare boards, so
poor .anl cmaciatcd that their bones
almost come through their skin, many
complaining tor the wan: Of food.
We believe they are fed improperly.
Sick people ought to have light diet
and these poor creatures get their beef
water and meal for soup, As we arc H.
formed. with coarse meat and cabbage
such diet as they cannot cat. One
poor fellow burst out crying and said
he was literally staryingto death. We
actually saw live vermin crawling
over tlcir faces, and the little bedding
and clothing they have is il tattCrs and
stiff with filth.
We call the attention Of the Board
OF Control to these matters, but under
the law we know they can do but lit
tie TO remedy these evils, We believe
they will do the best they can. We
are no. TO be understood rs condemn
ing ,llc %lessccs in person for these
things, bnt We do inyeigh against the
principle and system cf this great State
taking a poor creatures liberty anu
turAing him over TO II whose inter-
est it is TO coin his blood into money.
As n fair sample Of this system, on
-, a 100 Gh4 ,,,,in,s .rpvn lDaE1I
to Mcdonald up to June s, 1857, and
duringthis six months 20 died, - were
discharged and escaped and % return.
cd to the walls disabled and sick, ma.
ny Of whom have since died. God
will never smile upon q state that
treats its conyicts as Mississippi does.
After full examination and confer
cncc with the kind-heartcd prison
physician, DR.. Johnston, we lind tile
following persons in the hospital al
most in a diving state, some Of them
with h0pclcssly incurablc diseases and
Others badly afflicted, and all Of them
confined for minor otipiscs, compare.
lively speaking, and who have long
since suffered the full penalty Of the
law in being beaten and so cruelty
mistrcatCd, and whom we here ear.
Mostly beg the Governor to pardon i'm
mcdiutcly, so that they may al least
die free, to.wi':
Anderson Perkins, colorcd, con-
sumption.
Geo. Lowry, willie, chronic lung
disease, extreme debility; sentenced
for grand larceny, Says he has been
in tie pcnitcntiary for three year,.
Monroe Lusk. colorct., curious ulcer
atcd bones of foot; sentenced for forg-
cry. Said he had been in %pcnitcntla.
ry for eighteen months.
Anderson Tompkins, coiorcd, chron-
iC lung disease aud extreme debility;
sentenced for murder. SAYS he has
been in the pcnitcutiary nine months.
Geo. Smith, colorcd, chronic lung
disease. sentenced for murder. Says
he has been il the ~pcnicntiary about
three years,
Fayc'lc l~lnlliucr, co!orcd, chronic
dy.cnlcry aud very much dcbilitatcd.
Sloncwall Moore, colorcd. epilepsy
and dyscntcry, very much dcbilitatcd.
Says be has been in the pcnitcutiary
two and onc-hali years.
Ned DGwkins. colorcd, rheumatism
~cilrOuir.l Says he has been in the
peni'cntiary eighteen months.
Turner McDuhy, colorch,. extreme
debility. The result Of chronic dyscn-
terry. Says he has been in the pcniien.
tiary six months.
Samuel Toncy, colorcd, chronic lung
disease. Says lac has been in the pen
itcn,iary two wears.
Tai Ellzy, colored, dyscnterv.
Ab Shannon, colorcd, debility, the
result Of dyscntcry. Says he has been
in the pcuilcnliary Fix months.
We desire to say that there has come
to our notice "A number Of rumnrs re.
fleeing on this grand jury which we
denouncc as false. We found only
such bills rs the necessary legal num-
Der Of our bodv-to-wit: i~welve-frec.
. ~ and voluntarily asscntcd 10 aud 70.
ted tor, and charges that we were
weak aid ycnal enough to return bill,
, improperly aud illegally arc false and
we brand them SO.
D j. NJ. GRAY, Foreman,
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